Don't Plant The 'Bee-Friendly' Wildflowers That Cheerios Is Giving Away

You've likely seen advertisements for the new Cheerios campaign that aims to help bolster the declining bee populations in America.

It's a pretty good idea too - Cheerios will send you a free packet of wildflower seeds to people all over the country. These flowers will attract bees and encourage them to continue to do what bees do best: make honey.

There's one problem though: some of the flowers included in the packet are considered invasive species in some states.

Rather than sending seeds for native flower species to specific locations, General Mills is sending a basic mix of hysspops, lavender, daisies, poppies and forget-me-nots.

Some of these flowers listed above are not native to America and others are actually banned in different states.

Although 'no plant is inherently 'bad', many species can and have caused a great deal of damage when they are introduced into locations outside of their native range," ecologist Kathryn Turner told Lifehacker.

If you are concerned with the declining bee population, but want to be confident that you are planting flowers that are appropriate for your region, check out Xerces' regional gardening guides for tips on what seeds you should buy.

Then check out the USDA's PLANTS database to be sure that any plants you buy from the garden center are native to your region.

Planting for pollinators is still 'the bee's knees,' we've just got to be smart about how we do it!